With temperatures in Maryland dropping you may be struggling with the high cost of heating for your home. Energy efficiency plays a major role in how warm your house can get and in how expensive your heating bill will be. Air leaks in the home can cause drafts leaving you cold and can cause heat loss that hurts your monthly budget. But where do air leaks occur and how can you stop them? Let’s look at some common places that hot air escapes and cold air gets into your home.
Doorways
Doorways are a major source of air leakage in many homes, especially older homes. Not having a good deal around an exterior door can let freezing cold air seep into your home, causing a draft and raising your electric or gas bill.
Replacing old doors can help with this problem, but if that isn’t an option then weather stripping around the door can be replaced or added. Over time weather stripping can wear down, causing it to become less effective. Additionally adding or replacing door sweeps can often help the problem if air is escaping under the door.
Windows
Windows are another common place that cold seeps into your home. Older homes with older windows tend to be particularly susceptible to leakage, but even newer homes can run into this problem. For older windows you can apply caulk or weather stripping around the window to help reduce air getting in.
If you are going through a particularly cold snap you can also install a temporary plastic film over the window to help keep cold air out. For those living in cold, harsh climates storm windows can be installed as a more permanent solution.
Outdoor Openings
If you’ve addressed any door and window problems and still find that there is a draft in your home, you may have a problem with other outdoor openings, such as vents or cable lines into the home. Attic vents are oftentimes a culprit and need to be better insulated. Sometimes lines running into the home, such as cable and phone lines, are not property run and sealed, and can allow air to get into the home.
If you are having problems with air leakage and drafts in your home and you suspect the windows or doorways are to blame, give us at Platinum Exteriors a call today. We can quickly diagnose the source of your leak and come up with a solution to keep you warm this winter. For window replacement in Maryland call today!
